NOVEMBER. 
335 
nually not later than January, before the acutest eye can see which 
way “ the cat jumps, or is likely to j ump,^' and settle the day, and 
if their votes be even, let the Royal Society appoint a Fellow to 
give a casting vote. At present people are not “ nationally ” 
satisfied with waiting to see ‘‘which way the cat jumjDs.” When 
the day is fixed too early for the north, they must let in the sun 
with Parkes’s fork, and when it is too late for the south they must 
move the trees and cut back later. It is diificult to fix any day 
that would suit small roseries, but it is ridiculous to say that large 
roseries could not find roses, either the 20th of June, the 25th, or 
the 30th. If people will not work hard, and make it their busi¬ 
ness to get their roses ready, it is plain that they are not Rosa- 
rians. But if the day of show is kept in the dark, till it is 
impossible for them to hasten or retard their trees, men are not to 
blame for not “putting in an appearance.” There are, however, 
it is to be feared, many winners of prizes that are no Rosarians. 
What is their history ? They plant roses in November, with a 
shovel full of manure, never fence ngainst frosts, aphides, or 
mildew; but having run a rent charge on Providence, they bide 
their time, wait to see which way “the cat jumps,” and settle the 
day accordingly; and when the day arrives, they cut what roses 
they have ready, and if they have none ready, they say Providence 
has “ a spite at them,” and that it is a bad year for roses. How 
came the rose plants all over England to be nearly annihilated ? 
The answer is, ignorance and neglect. I should like to give them 
three dozen from the tail of another “cat,” that, having no eyes, 
could not have the pleasure of seeing which way “ they jump ! ” 
This would quicken their senses, and cause them to be Rosarians 
in substance as well as in name only. However, I must now turn 
to another subject not unimportant. 
Secondly. To the Rose Box and the Roses. 
(1) . The rose box. It is desirable that there should be uni¬ 
formity, and that the size should be settled at once, that we may 
alter our boxes at once. The Royal Horticultural Society is 
entitled to settle this point. True, there were regulations on this 
point, but people felt that they might be liable to further altera¬ 
tions, unless the Society called a meeting of members. The result 
was, that the rule was not obeyed. The same tribunal might 
settle this point, as well as the day of exhibition. 
(2) . The classes for exhibition, and the number of Roses. I 
think it would be a good thing if amateurs were allowed to com¬ 
pete, say for twenty-four singles or trebles of Tea Roses, Moss, 
Bourbons, and Noisettes in the same box. They cannot be ex¬ 
pected to face the nurserymen. A good box might be got up out 
of these four families, whereas now the exhibition of Tea and 
Moss Roses is bad. I have never yet seen at any exhibition a 
good pan of Moss Roses. 
The nurserymen’s prizes should be open to the amateurs, but it 
is useless to open the amateur prizes to the former. When I saw 
tw'enty-four single roses (open), I said to myself, there is a “bonus” 
